Advice for Hair Loss Sufferers Considering Hair Transplant Surgery

My Story

Hello everyone,
So I decided to go for Dr. Konior during the summer of 2017 and got a reservation for August 8th, 2018. I was 29 at the time and had some pretty extensive frontal balding going on. I had been balding mostly in the front from around age 18 - so pretty early. Luckily I had a decent amount of hair throughout my 20's, but in 2017 I decided I had to do something about my problem.
The main issue I had was with people subconsciously scanning my hairline trying to figure out what the problem was up there. The framing in my face was gone and it was constantly drawing eyes, which was not fun. I tried to shave it all off at one point, and although it did look ok, I just didn't feel comfortable with it. The balding was still quite visible, even with a shaved head. I'm sure I would've learned to settle into it, but having hair is always better.
It was a year long wait, but finally in August of 2018 I flew out to Chicago, from Norway. I had a few concerns heading into the procedure. One of them was my allergy. I had some pretty bad allergic skin breakouts at the time, and I was also allergic to penicillin, so it was not a good start to the journey ! But the Doctor and his staff were really professional and nice, which made things easier. We decided that it would be ok to skip the antibiotic pills, and instead just use the antibiotic ointment for the postop. Thinking about it now, I'm very glad that I did. Antibiotics wreck havoc on your system, and the risk of infection is tiny with a good clinic and proper wound care.
Another concern was nerve damage around the donor area. I'm a bit of a skinny person, so I felt like my nerves would be closer to the surface than other people, but this turned out to be a non-issue. Full sensation returned to the donor area within a couple of months. I think this is due to the fact that he's a great surgeon. I even told him I was worried about it right before he was about to remove the strip, which might've made him be even more careful. Dr. Konior is the only hair transplant surgeon I know of with a cosmetic surgery background, so you're in good hands when it comes to all that.
At this point, I have no numbness at all there. I sleep very comfortably. The recipient area is still slightly numb though, but I think that's normal. It's been cut over 3000 times, so it's to be expected. I don't notice the numbness there unless I bump my head into something. If I touch with my fingers it feels ok.
And finally, to all the people worrying about when the results will come. Be patient. I was a bit of a slow grower myself. It takes time for the transplanted hair to settle in and mature, and for the blood vessels to grow strong. But, make sure you do a lot of research before you pick your surgeon. You want skilled hands operating on you. -- Anyway, here are some pre-op pics.

This 39 year old patient presented with a history of two prior unsuccessful hair transplants in which a total of 3086 grafts had been placed in an attempt to restore his frontal male pattern baldness. He expressed concern that the procedures failed to produce any substantial regrowth or density gain. He was also bothered by a very wide scar that resulted from his second strip harvest procedure.
The prior transplant zones demonstrated quite low density in consideration of the prior 3086 grafts that had been performed. His donor area revealed a very wide scar extending from the occipital region to the right temple donor region. Overall his donor area was deemed compromised because of the past harvests and the resulting wide scar. The surgical plan devised included another strip harvest in the remaining higher density, core donor region, and a secondary FUE harvest for recruiting grafts from the nape region. This combination approach was used to maximize the graft harvest while minimizing further cosmetic handicap in the donor region. The strip harvest yielded 2829 grafts and the FUE harvest yielded 541 grafts, resulting in a total of 3370 grafts for the restoration. Strip grafts were primarily distributed in the frontal and midscalp regions, while the finer nape hairs were used to create a transitional thinning appearance from the midscalp into the crown. Presented here are nine month postoperative results. Also presented are various photos of immediate graft placement and the harvest zone.
Preop Front
Preop Top 1
Preop Top 2
Preop Top 3
Preop Left
Preop Right
Postop Front
Postop Top 1
Postop Top 2
Postop Top 3
Postop Left 1
Postop Left 2
Postop Right
Planned Graft Zones
Immediate Postop Strip Graft Placement View 1
Immediate Postop Strip Graft Placement View 2
Immediate Postop FUE Graft Placement
Immediate Postop Combo Graft Placement
Immediate Postop FUE Donor Site Appearance
FUE Donor Site 24 Hours After Surgery

This 34 year old patient presented with a history of three prior hair restoration procedures that were performed by three different surgeons. He was unhappy with the lack of density and patchy appearance in the prior transplant zones. The patient also expressed concern about the visibility of his strip harvest scar. His examination revealed very low frontal and midscalp density which was of concern in light of him having undergone three prior procedures.
Restoration of the density deficient frontal and midscalp regions, as well as the donor strip scar, was performed using a total of 1940 grafts that were obtained using an FUE harvest. The scar was treated with 300 grafts and the frontal/midscalp regions were managed with 1640 grafts. Presented here are preop and postop pics which demonstrate the final frontal/midscalp density and donor scar camouflage that was accomplished.
Preop Front
Preop Right Donor
Preop Center Donor
Preop Left Donor
Postop Front
Postop Top View 1
Postop Top View 2
Postop Top View 3
Postop Top View 4
Postop Right View 1
Postop Left View 1
Postop Right View 2
Postop Left View 2
Postop Right View 3
Postop Left View 3
Postop Center Donor
Postop Right Donor
Postop Left Donor
Graft Placement Zone - 5 Days Postop
Donor Scar Graft Placement - 5 Days Postop

This 55 year old male presented with a request to solidify his recessed hairline, enhance midscalp density, and soften the balding appearance in the crown region. He was not able to shave his scalp for the restoration procedure. A total of 3194 grafts were used with a stick-and-place insertion technique. Density transitions were prioritized in a front-to-back fashion so as to maximize his frontal appearance. Presented are one-year postop photos.

This patient first presented at the age of 62 with a request for hairline restoration and coverage throughout the rest of his balding scalp. His restoration consisted of 4681 grafts which created a new frontal hairline and distributed a thinner but natural coverage over his midscalp and crown. He returned to the office almost 5 years later for a follow-up exam. He is now almost 67 years of age and here are photos from his most recent visit.

This 38 year old patient requested density enhancement in his thinning frontal and midscalp regions. His exam revealed a diffuse thinning pattern throughout the male pattern zone. The donor area showed low caliber hair and evidence of retrograde alopecia. He underwent a 3088 graft restoration of the frontal and midscalp regions. Presented are fourteen month postop results. These include part views in the graft zones that demonstrate his density enhancement.
Preop Front
Preop Top
Preop Right
Preop Left
Postop Front 1
Postop Front 2
Postop Top
Postop Right 1
Postop Right 2
Postop Right 3
Postop Left 1
Postop Left 2
Density Inspection Center
Density Inspection Front
Density Inspection Right
Density Inspection Left
Postop Donor Area
Immediate Postop Graft Placement

This 39 year old male requested frontal hairline restoration. His exam revealed an isolated frontal hairline recession with excellent hair characteristics elsewhere. An FUE harvest was recommended to accommodate his desire to sport different hairstyles which included short hair. A total of 945 grafts were used to enhance density and shape at the frontal hairline. Presented here are one year postop pics. Immediate graft placement pics, one-day and one-week postop pics and density inspection views of the graft zone are included.
Preop Front:
Preop Tilted View:
Preop Right
Preop Left
Postop Front 1
Postop Front 2
Postop Front 3
Postop Front Comb-back
Postop Left 1
Postop Left 2
Postop Left Comb-back
Postop Right
Postop Right Close-up
Intraop Planned Graft Zone
Immediate Intraop Graft Placement
One Day Postop Graft Zone
One Week Postop Graft Zone
Donor Site Day of Surgery
Donor Site One Day Postop
Donor Site One Week Postop
Density Inspection Center
Density Inspection Left

This 29 year old patient requested reinforcement of his frontal hairline. A total of 2204 grafts were transplanted using a non-shave, stick-and-place approach. Presented here is his eighteen month postop result.

This discussion summarizes the 14 year journey of a patient who presented to my office in 2003 complaining of a very unnatural hairline. He had previously undergone hairline restoration using large plug-type grafts. The large size of those grafts, in combination with highly contrasting skin/hair characteristics, left him with an unnatural, surgical-looking hairline. His primary objective was to improve his frontal appearance without using an aggressive hairline excision, as has been discussed here previously (http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/143279-advanced-plug-hairline-repair-dr-raymond-konior.html ). His secondary goal was to enhance density in the area behind the frontal plugs using front-to-back prioritization. The chosen strategy for accomplishing these goals was one that would debulk the offending large grafts, which would then be dissected into follicular units and redistributed in the thinning areas behind the grafted frontal region. Additional follicular unit grafts would be obtained using strip harvesting to further supplement density in the thinning midscalp, working back over time toward the crown. The patient was aware that the limitations of extraction and donor supply would require the use of several staged procedures to accomplish his goals. Large punches were used in the early years to perform macro-debulking of the plug-type grafts. As FUE punch technology evolved and improved, small FUE punches were subsequently implemented beginning in 2011 at which time micro-debulking was utilized to selectively remove higher-caliber, darker-hair follicular units from the remaining objectionable plug-type grafts. Over 14 years the patient transformed from having an extremely unnatural hairline that required creative styling for camouflage, to having a natural hairline that allowed him to fully expose it without concern of detectability. Additionally, large-graft redistribution, along with follicular unit grafting from supplementary donor harvests, provided respectable coverage throughout the thinning midscalp and crown regions, despite the progression of his balding over 14 years.
Chronological Highlights:
2003 – Patient presents with unnatural, pluggy hairline. The plan was to debulk the largest grafts (some marked with purple) and to add single-hair grafts to the hairline for softening the harsh appearance. Top view shows extent of thinning in the midscalp and crown regions. Grafts dissected from the extracted large grafts and additional strip harvest grafts were placed into the midscalp.
2004 – Hairline softening is observed one-year postop. Additional debulking and grafting were performed as in the 2003 session.
2006 – Hairline shows further softening from the 2004 session. Additional macro-debulking of large grafts (purple surgical marker) was performed.
2011 – Hairline is looking better, but continues to show some tuft formation. Midscalp density has improved from prior sessions. Further refining of the hairline is now accomplished with micro-debulking using FUE from the remaining large grafts. Extracted grafts and follicular units obtained from a small donor harvest are placed into the crown region.
2014 – Hairline shows more refinement following the FUE micro-debulking session. Additional micro-debulking is performed.
2017 – End result after 14 years of macro-debulking, micro-debulking, and follicular unit grafting. Patient can fully expose the hairline and sports decent midscalp and crown coverage.

This 42 year old patient had a prior frontal hair restoration using FUE harvesting. He was dissatisfied with his final density and complained of some pit formation in the frontal graft zone. His main donor area showed evidence of moderate density reduction resulting from his initial procedure. His main desire was to boost density in the immediate frontal hairline so that his hair could be styled back. A small preliminary procedure was used to remove several of the deeper pitted grafts in the frontal region. A secondary session of 1580 grafts was performed at a later date using FUE harvesting and graft insertion with a stick and place technique. Graft harvesting was focused more to the side donor areas in order to minimize the risk of over-depleting his previously harvested donor areas. His eleven month postop photos are presented here along with immediate graft placement photos and two week postop photos.

This 28 year old requested frontal hairline restoration. A session consisting of 2884 grafts was performed using a “stick-and-place” insertion technique and dense-pack placement. Presented are 18-month postop photos, immediate graft placement photos and a 10-day postop photo.

This patient presented with a request to strengthen a receding frontal hairline. His exam was unremarkable except for isolated frontotemporal recession. A session of 1328 grafts was performed to boost density within the weak recessions. Presented are four year postop views. Included are part views through the graft zones to demonstrate the density that was achieved and immediate postop graft placement views.

Hi everyone. Been reading up here a ton and looking at surgeon options.
I've already had a consult at Dr. Parsley's office after high recommendations here. However I didn't meet with him but rather with his associate, Dr. Waldman. I really liked Dr. Waldman personally, but can't find any reviews of his work here or anywhere else. It's hard to discern his work from Dr. Parsley's, though I'm confident Parsley wouldn't partner with a surgeon who is sub par.
So just wondering if anyone can vouch for Dr. Waldman's work, OR recommend anyone closer to Tennessee. I met with Dr Fisher years back. Liked him, but also can't find much by way of reviews, other than that he's expensive.
Dr. Cooley and Konior are also on my short list. Both their reputations precede them, so if I were to go with either of them it would simply come down to price.
Thanks for any input! Big decision!

Hey guys,
This is my first post and I wanted to share my journey and hair transplant by Dr. Raymond Konior, who is located in the Chicagoland area, US.
I had roughly 3950 grafts all placed by his skillful hands and have been extremely pleased with the progress so far. It hasn't even been three months since my July 2012 procedure but I felt I should start a post to encourage anyone else interested.
This network truly helped me get to the decision I feared regretting-- going with a bad surgeon. So for that I thank you guys. Fear not with Dr. Konior, he's an artist like many have stated prior; particularly with realistic density and masterful hairlines.
Below are images from the night before the procedure, 3 days after, and 2.5 months in. Here's to more progress. Let me know if you have any questions or thoughts.
Hair Restoration Site for Sam Spade

This 33 year old patient requested a high density restoration for his receding frontal hairline. He underwent a dense-pack hairline restoration using 2926 grafts.Presented here are 9 month postoperative photos.Included are immediate postop graft placement photos and views with the hair being parted to demonstrate his graft zone density compared to the preexisting density in the midscalp region.

This 39 year old patient presented with a prior history of having undergone a single session hair transplant to enhance his frontal hairline. He felt the hairline was too high and that the existing density was insufficient for his needs. A strip harvest was recommended based on him having a linear harvest scar from his first session and because he continued to have decent elasticity in the region of that scar. A session of 2292 grafts was performed with graft placement primarily focused on lowering the hairline and enhancing density along the leading hairline edge. He returned one year later with a nice result, but sought to further enhance density throughout the frontal region, especially in the central forelock where he thought scalp skin could be visualized under bright lights and wet hair conditions. An FUE harvest was recommended as his donor area was beginning to show evidence of reduced elasticity from the prior two harvests. A session of 1200 grafts was performed using an FUE harvest with graft placement primarily focused in the central forelock and distribution moving centrifugally from the center forelock. Presented are photos showing his final result (two-year post strip harvest / one-year post FUE harvest). Included are immediate postop graft placement pics and pics which show his appearance a few days after surgery. Part-views demonstrate his final recipient site density.

This is a 35 year old patient who presented with a history of a prior hairline restoration that failed to achieve his density objectives. He was also dissatisfied with his donor scar. He first underwent a scar revision in the donor area and returned 3 months later for his hairline restoration. A total of 1800 grafts using an FUE harvest was performed to enhance his hairline density and to augment his temporal hairline. Presented here are one year postop pictures along with short-term postoperative photos of the donor and recipient sites.

This is a 53 year old male who presented to the office with a history of a prior hair transplant session that did not satisfy his density and coverage expectations. His first comment was that he wanted to “look like Elvis” and emphasized that the frontal hairline was his most important concern. He was not concerned about his crown and planned on combing his hair toward the back. His donor area had an existing scar from his previous strip harvest. He underwent a session of 3100 grafts using a strip harvest. His preoperative hairline asymmetry in which the left side was lower than the right side was corrected. His previous transplant set his widows peak at a fairly low level. He was content with that location and therefore the plan was designed to enhance the hairline that was previously created. The graft zone was buzz-cut to a very short length to optimize graft placement. Presented here are 16 month postoperative photos along with immediate and 2-day postop photos.

This 44 year old patient presented 6 years ago requesting a density boost along his frontal hairline. He has a history of using both minoxidil and finasteride. The postop photos show the stability of his density boost from 6 years earlier.

I am a 30 year old female who has been dealing with gradual hairloss since approx 2008.
I have not yet seen any before/afters in regards to this type of hairloss, only full front where they are repairing hair lines in women. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
I am setting consults with surgeons at this point and will be completing necessary bloodwork, labs, physical as well. So far I have emailed for consults with Dr Konior and Dr Shapiro - I know they are both top of the line but are they good for these types? I originally received an email back from Dr Nadimi at Konior's office but was unfamiliar with her and couldn't find info on the web.
Also, does anyone have a rough estimate on what I am looking at as far as grafts or even if this is surgically fixable?

This is a 41 year old patient who requested enhancement of his receding frontal hairline. He underwent a session of 1880 grafts harvested using follicular unit extraction. Presented here are 15 month postoperative photos. Also shown are pics representative of graft placement and donor site healing.

Hi there,
New member, first-time poster, longtime lurker on forums like this.
I'm 31 y/o, been slowly losing my hair since I was 19. I had shaven my head when I was 18, and as it grew back, I noticed something was off. Of course family and friends all assured me nothing was wrong, but no one knows the hair on someone's head like the person under it.
I went to a dermatologist, and sure enough, she said "don't listen to your family, you absolutely have male-pattern baldness." I was devastated, but thankfully was able to get on Propecia from an early age.
Fast-forward 12 years. I never regrew hair with Propecia, but I'm sure it slowed it down my hair loss. I had very slow loss for about 5-6 years, at which point I started incorporating Rogaine foam into my daily regimen.
The last 3 years though have seen even more accelerated loss, so I switched to Dutasteride. It's hard to say at this point if loss has stopped entirely, but even if I maintained what I have, my hair line is very weak and going out everyday is an entire process of Rogaine + blowdrying + hair product to create the illusion that I'm treading on very thin hair.
I don't know if it's my genetics or a result of the decade of Propecia, but I have both a receding hairline and very diffuse loss. On one hand the hairline makes it look like I might have more hair than I do, but I'm worried it also poses a challenge as surgery would mean not just strengthening/filling in my hairline, but also filling in the back and crown.
So here's where I'm at: I looked at doctors in Chicago, and have felt very "eh" about most of what I've seen, but kinda figured that's how it goes with transplants these days.
But as I read through forums, three doctors caught my attention (if their photos are accurate and testimonials aren't sponsored):
Dr. Konior in Chicagoland
Dr. Rahal in Toronto
Dr. Shapiro in Minneapolis
In an ideal world, here's what I'd get out of transplants:
* Stronger, lower hairline and temples
* Crown and vertex filled in
Here are my questions:
* What are people's opinions on results I could achieve if I'm looking at FUE? (I don't want a big scar strip in the back of my head)
* Given my age (31), where I'm at with thinning, and that I've been on Propecia all these years, would transplant be fighting a losing battle?
* Lots of doctors (whose photos I wasn't as impressed with) seem to advocate using Artas. What's the latest thinking on this, and is there any reason doctors still believe "feel of the hand" can out perform the benefits of a machine analysis?
* Outside of Konior, I'll have to travel for a consultation, follow up, etc. I make a decent living for a 31 year old, but I'm not rolling in money. How do people travel for these surgeries? Do they have to make multiple trips across the country (or world in some cases) to get FUE?
Anyway, sorry for the long post, but this is the closest I've ever come to making the plunge, and any and as much info as possible would be very appreciated.
You can see the progression of my hair below (shaved head at 20, hair at 24, unblowdryed at 30, blowdryed with product at 31) (un-blowdryed), and the kind of illusion I can create with it when blowdryed and with product.
Thanks so much!

This is a 60 year old male who requested frontal density enhancement and a better defined hairline. He underwent a 3100 graft frontal hairline restoration using a stick-and-place method for graft insertion into the recipient site. Presented here are 14 month postoperative pictures along with immediate graft placement views.